Improvement in railroad-car heaters



H. M. BRITTON.

Railroad Car Heater.v No. 81,878. Famed-sept. 8.1868.

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HIRAM M. BRITTON, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JOEL F. RICHARDSON, OF SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 81,873, dated September 8, 1868,; antedated March 9, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CAR HEATERS.

. To WHoM 1T MAY ooNoERN;

Be it known that I, HIRAM M. BRITTON, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Mode ofWarming and Ventilating Railroad-Cars; and do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to' the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

My invention relates to an effective and secure mode of warming cars by hot air; and my improvement consistsmore especially in placing the heating-apparatus in a separate car from that in which the passengers are transported, the air being conveyed from'said heating-apparatus to the entire train by means of fans, pipes, and exible tubes, which are under the complete control of the conductor or his assistant.l

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a verticalrlongitudinal section of two railway-cars provided with my improvements.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same.

A and B represent respectively a baggage and passenger-car of ordinary construction, and said baggage*- car is provided with a bulk-head, b, which divides it into two compartments of unequal size, the. heatingapparatus being secured in the smaller of the twb. i

The `interior of this compartment is lined with sheet metal C, to protect it from the heat of the warmingapparatus. The warming-apparatus may consist of a furnace, D, and anumber of drums, d, for the purpose of utilizing the heat. The furnace can be constructed in such a manner as to burn either wood, coal, or coke,.so as to adapt it to the requirements' of any road. The furnace and its accompanying drums, branch-pipes, &c., are contained in a metallic jacket, E, and which is attached to the car by means of angle-ironsfand studding F. The space Gbetween the interior of the jacket andthe heating-apparatus D E, constitutes the hot-air chamber, and this chamber receives its supply of fresh air through the induction-pipe H, whose outer end is provided with a screw-threaded neck, h. i

This screw-.threaded neck enables the induction-pipe to he attached to any other pipe which may pass over the tender and'project outin front of the'locomotive, in order that the iniiowing air may be as pure as possible, and not be filled with dust, cinders, &c.

Proceeding from the hot-air chamber G, are two pipes I I', which connect with a casing,j, within which revolves a fan, J, and this fan is driven from one of theiaxles of the car by means of the bands l andpulleys L.

M and N are two hot-air pipes, which are attached tothe fan-chamber j, and these pipes reach almost to the end of the rear platform of the car, at which point flexible tubes m n connect them with similar hot-air pipes M N', which are secured beneath the iioor of the passenger-car B.

As these exible tubes will accommodate themselves to any position of the cars, there is no danger of any injurious strain being brought to bear upon the hot-air pipes M M N N', and said tubes can be slipped oi1 of the pipes in a moment, whenever it is desired to uncouple the cars. 4

Another advantage peculiar to these flexible tubes consists in the fact that they will readily connect the hot-air pipes of two cars whose floors may not be on the same level. Projecting upwardly from the hot-air pipes M N', are branches O, which pass `through the floor of a passengercar, and are provided with registers P, by which to regulate the amount of hot-air which shallbe supplied to each car. i

R are ventilators in the roof of the car, to permit the escape of the,impure air.

The rear ends of the hot-air pipes of the last car are closed by a cap, S, so as to prevent the too rapid escape of air.

The operation of my warming-apparatus is as follows: Fire is Vrst started in the furnace D, and ina few minutes the air in chamber G becomes warmed, and as soon as the fan J is rotated, itidraws the warm air from said chamber, and forces it through the pipes M M N N O, and tubes m n, into al1 parts of the train. As

i rapidly as the warm air is withdrawn from the hot-air chamber G, its place is supplied by the fresh air which is continually flowingl in through the induction-pipe H, and the cars are thus furnished -with an abundant supply of pure warm air.

v The air being passed-through 'the hot-air chamber` somewhat rapidly, there is no danger of it- (the air) being devitalized or "Vbur'nt in case the furnace and drums `should become too highly heated.

YYThe fan may be so arranged as to be drivenvby hand at times, so-that the ears may be comfortably warmed before the train starts. l

It `will be found that this method of warming cars'will preserve a uniform temperature within them, and in case the train should run oil' the track, the cars, with their half-crushed inmates, will .not be consumed, as has frequently happened when stoves have been employed. y

During the summer-season the heating-apparatus can be removed, and a suitable refrigerator substitut-ed for it, and the famand pipes-Will then be employed for producing a circulation of cold air through the cars.

With this arrangement the doors and Windows can be kept closed, so as to exclude all of the dust and cinders,-which are great annoyances to all who are compelled to travel in the summer-months.

I claim' herein as new, and of my invention- The relative arrangement Withinl the car A of the hot-air chamber G, having double metallic walls C E, the furnace I) ol d, the induction-pipes II, conducting-pipes I I M N, and fan .L substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

' HIRAM Mt BRITTON. Witnesses GEO. H. KNIGHT, JAMES H. LAIMAN. 

